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OWC Elektron USB-C SSD
Related: laptop, Other World Computing, OWC Envoy Pro, OWC Envoy Pro Elektron, Samsung, SSD, storage, USB, USB-C
Get OWC Envoy Pro Elektron at MacSales.com, 1TB and 2TB capacities.
Here, MPG assesses the late 2020 OWC Envoy Pro Elektron USB-C SSD, available in 240GB/480GB/1TB/2TB capacities on the 2019 Mac Pro.
The OWC Elektron USB-C SSD is characterized by outstanding performance in an ultra-compact form factor, ultra-durable build quality, bus-power, and totally silent operation.
The OWC Elektron offers consistently high performance across the entire capacity that makes it a far superior choice over competing products like the Samsung T7.
With its ultra-high performance that maxes-out the USB-C bus (see tests that follow), the OWC Envoy Pro Elektron is suitable for Mac or PC and for desktops or laptops.
The laptop usage is clear—and a great way to pocket all your stuff just in case the laptop disappears while traveling—but so compact is the Elektron that one might ponder affixing it in place to the rear of an iMac or Mac Mini with velcro.
One need not have a USB-C port; the Elektron’s supplied cable can be plugged into either a USB-C or USB-A port, for outstanding convenience on older machines, or between differing ones.
- About $369 for 2TB and $199 for 1TB (as this was written) with No Risk, No Hassle 30-Day Money Back Guarantee
- 3 Year OWC SSD Limited Warranty
- Bootable on Macs.
- Super-fast for all: save, backup, and edit personal and work files with up to 1011MB/s real-world performance1
- OWC Aura SSD powered: advanced NVMe technology delivers up to twice as fast performance compared to other portable SSDs
- Universally compatible: Plug and play with Thunderbolt and USB Macs or PCs as well as devices like the iPad Pro and Chromebooks
- Built like a tank: Crushproof, dustproof and waterproof IP67 rated2
- Tiny: pocket-sized to go anywhere easily
- Bootable: launch apps and start working in seconds (Mac only)
- Informative: LED for at glance confirmation of power and activity status3
- Cool: heat dissipating aircraft-grade aluminum housing for silent, throttle-free performance
- Connected: included USB-C cable with Type-A adapter plugs into to any machine anywhere
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Tested: Sustained transfer speed
Performance testing by DiskTester, part of diglloydTools.
Read and write speed across the entire 1TB capacity shows as high a performance level as one might hope for with almost no deviation. This is as good as it gets for USB-C performance, and under a sustained maximal I/O load far exceeding anything resembling normal usage.
Throughput figures are real-world transfer speed through the macOS file system.
Tested: Transfer speed vs transfer size
Performance testing by DiskTester, part of diglloydTools.
disktester run-sequential-suite -s 16K -e 512M --iterations 5 --test-size 2G
Even the small 32K I/O sizes hit speeds over 200MB/sec and this doubles by 128K. Typical of all SSDs, transfer size needs to hit 1MiB to 2MiB in order to reach 95% of peak speed.
This is a very strong performance that rapidly approaches the limits of the USB-C bus.
Conclusions
The 1TB OWC Envoy Pro Elektron USB-C SSD is a class-leading performer at an attractive price for its capacity and very high build quality. And with a 3-year warranty, OWC stands behind their products three times as long as Apple does.
The OWC Envoy Pro Elektron is the perfect add-on for anyone looking for ultra high performance for any computer with USB-C that is flagging in its internal storage. Being bootable, it is also a highly attractive upgrade for a clone backup of the system volume.
Get the best!
For anyone who really wants the best, the OWC Elektron trounces the Samsung T7 whenever sustained I/O performance is a goal, as the graph shows. The price difference is modest, but the performance difference is huge. And the OWC Elektron is also IP67 water resistance and virtually indestructible vs the Samsung.
Samsung T7 is about $270 @AMAZON. Is $100 for 2nd-rate performance worth it?
Below, Samsung T5 performance (red/green) is a fraction of the OWC Elektron (orange/blue, top lines).
